Email Author Gary Hodges

2008 Stories by Gary Hodges

• Whatever Fracture's breaking, it ain't new ground

  published October 23, 2008

  One of the oft-repeated historical curiosities about the Maya is that they conceived the wheel yet never found a practical application for it.... More >>

• A Two-Point Plan to Save Gaming News

  published October 9, 2008

  Two weeks ago, I described the links between one of gaming's biggest PR companies, TriplePoint PR, and a small gaming news and review site... More >>

• Spore Isn't the Leap You've Been Led to Believe

  published September 25, 2008

  After years of development and nearly as many years of hype, Spore has arrived — an event made so big by the association of Will... More >>

• Too Human's Long, Troubled Journey Is Finally at an End

  published September 11, 2008

  Well...I wish I could say I was surprised. Too Human, simply put, pretty much blows — probably not a great shock to anyone... More >>

• Braid Changes the Game

  published August 28, 2008

  In the 25 years or so I've been playing games, never once have I encountered an earnest conversation about what a game means. You see... More >>

• Lightsabers and Tits Don't Quite Hide Soul Calibur IV's Lack of Ideas

  published August 14, 2008

  You hear the same words used over and over to describe Soul Calibur IV, words like forced. Jarring. Anachronistic.... More >>

• Civilization Revolution Offers a Fast Way to Build Up a Culture.

  published July 31, 2008

  Gandhi is threatening to invade my country if I don't share the secrets of gunpowder with him. Consulting with my advisers, I'm told his army... More >>

• An Old Flame, Scorching: Space Invaders Extreme

  published July 17, 2008

  Battlefield: Bad Company is a video game published by Electronic Arts for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360. It's a first-person... More >>

• Idle Hands: Metal Gear Solid 4

  published July 3, 2008

  How much of a game has to be interactive for it to actually be a game? I'm not being snide; it's a serious query. If an experience is... More >>

• Ninja Gaiden II Pours on the Gore – and Glitches

  published June 19, 2008

  It's probably a good thing Game On wasn't around to review Ninja Gaiden when it hit Xbox in 2004 — we probably would've written An... More >>

• Castle of Shikigami III tests the bounds of Wii loyalty

  published June 5, 2008

  John Edwards might see Two Americas, but this simpleminded little game enthusiast is more preoccupied with America's Two Wii Owners. One is the... More >>

• Grand Theft Auto IV on the Floor

  published May 15, 2008

  If you read reviews the way I do, you've already started by checking out the score, and now you're back here to see what the hell my problem... More >>

• Prologue is a tantalizing – and overpriced – glimpse at the next Gran Turismo

  published May 1, 2008

  When the trailer for Star Wars: Episode I first hit theaters, some fans bought tickets for the movie it was presented with, watched the trailer... More >>

• Rogues' Torment in Baroque

  published April 24, 2008

  First of all: God bless Atlus. As a publisher devoted to bringing obscure Japanese gaming gems to the West — basically the much-needed... More >>

• Viking: Battle for Asgard shows promise, but not much more

  published April 10, 2008

  It's nice when a game comes along that pleasantly surprises you. I admit, I judged Viking: Battle for Asgard by the screenshots, writing... More >>

• Online Turnoff with Condemned 2: Bloodshot

  published March 27, 2008

  Developers seem to believe that their first-person games are required to include online modes. Blame it on the few ­narrow-minded gamers... More >>

• Pounding Headache with Patapon

  published March 13, 2008

  You'll know in the first few minutes exactly what Patapon has going for it. There's the goofy premise, which casts you as the tribal god... More >>

• Text Adventure: Lost Odyssey

  published February 28, 2008

  Lost Odyssey wants to be Microsoft's answer to Final Fantasy, not that that's such a good idea. Like Star Wars, Final Fantasy... More >>

• No More Heroes is hip, bloody and indispensable

  published February 14, 2008

  When it comes to giving a game a vibe, "awesome" is an easy mark to hit. Explosions, hot chicks, macho one-liners and salivating mutants are... More >>

• Samurai Warriors: KATANA

  published January 31, 2008

  The very first time I saw the Wii's motion-sensitive "Wiimote" (and after the initial Wha-huh? reaction), a single thought bounced in my... More >>

• Unreal Tournament III

  published January 17, 2008

  Unreal Tournament III is ideal for overcaffeinated teenage boys with PlayStation 3's, broadband Internet connections, extensive online... More >>

• NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams

  published January 3, 2008

  The inevitable challenge faced by Wii developers is this: Can you create a game so spectacularly awesome as to prompt a gamer to even... More >>